March 31, 2014

A
month ago, I left a cold Pittsburgh, went to a spring-like Romania and came back
to an even colder Steel City.But the
time in Romania was worthwhile as it was filled with birthday parties,
barbecues, frequent trips to the open market, and home-cooked meals with my
grandmother.Nothing short of
perfection!

It
was a whole year ago that I went to see my family in Transylvania and the trip coincided
again with my birthday, which is always celebratory and exciting!If last year, I specifically insisted that my
Grandma Vicki included these spectacular Nutella filled Cookies on my birthday
dessert menu, this year, her epic Chocolate Cake with Walnut Brittle took
center stage.And Adrian’s cousin Alex
called it “the Bomb”!Stay tuned for
this recipe, you will not want to miss it!

Of
course, in my grandma’s kitchen one dessert is never enough, so the Chocolate
Cake was nicely accompanied by a Coffee Cream Cake and a Chestnut Cake.All gorgeous and mouthwatering!

After
an outrageously mild winter, spring came early in Romania.The moment the sun was out and the
temperatures started to climb, Romanians had two things on their mind: picnics
and grilling.As always, the mititei,
those small sausage shaped patties, were extremely popular; and so were the
pork steaks, chicken drumsticks, fish and these amazing Chicken Burgers, which
got me a standing ovation!

As
you can see, people love to crowd around the grill, literally, and get lost in
a cloud of smoke!

When
spring fever hits, Romanians start vegging out in parks, soaking up the sun and
relishing some crunchy pretzels.

I
prefer a trip to the open markets that are overflowing with fresh produce the
moment spring rolls around.